Family Reunion, by Kelsey Bryant

“Every word, every moment matters …

“Welcome to the Austin Family Reunion! 14-year-old Marielle Austin’s parents and grandparents are hosting family for a week in the Texas hill country, and Marielle’s five girl cousins are staying at her house. Emma and Caroline are her best friends – like her, they’re homeschooled and passionate about the Lord, the past, and books. Abby, Kailey, and Reanna are from Wisconsin and just as far away in background and interests – what’s hot in the world now is what matters to them.

“Grandpa Will Austin has devised a series of projects for the six of them to complete. There’s a shed to fix up, a missionary to interview, and a trail of clues to solve, leading to a treasure. If they finish by the end of the week and work together with love and understanding, they’ll earn a prize beyond anything they could imagine! But difficulties surface right away. Bad attitudes and work ethics seem all Abby, Kailey, and Reanna can offer. Marielle, Emma, and Caroline are at a loss – what can they do to push the projects through? And more importantly, what can they do about their cousins, who won’t welcome their friendship? How can they show love when it’s hard even to feel it? Will the mysterious prize slip away, and with it any chance of relationship?” ~from Goodreads

Title: Family Reunion (Six Cousins series)

Author: Kelsey Bryant

Genre(s): Christian Fiction

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ (3.5 stars)

Romance Content: One character is known for asking if her cousins have boyfriends yet, but the main character and her close cousins don’t see the point in having a boyfriend at ages 14 and 15; subject handled well. Also, a romance in a book/movie series is mentioned.

Recommended age range: 12+

My Review:

This was a very interesting book! I instantly connected with Marielle, the main character! I absolutely loved the descriptions and Marielle’s “romantic” heart (not romantic as in romance, but as in seeing beauty in many things)!! The writing was excellent, and the plot oh so well developed; I can definitely see how the beginning, etc, led up to the climax– which, by the way, was another thing I could identify with. (I can’t say I’ve been in the same situation, but I was definitely rooting for Marielle, Emma, and Caroline to make the right decision.) Speaking of Marielle’s cousins, for some reason I thought that Caroline was older than Emma, so I was confused when Emma consistently made better, more mature choices… but then I looked at the list of characters (very helpful!) and my confusion was resolved. 😉 Also, I am very curious if Mrs. Mavis Buford (a missionary interviewed in the story) is a real person; I have a feeling she might be. 🙂

While I did greatly enjoy this book, there were several reasons why I can’t recommend it without reservation:

• God’s Name is taken in vain once (by a character who makes bad decisions, and it wasn’t written out completely, but still!). The character is never reproved for this.
• Several characters use a term which is slang for God’s Name multiple times.
• Country/pop/rock/idk musicians are mentioned (although the MC is not impressed and does not agree with this).
• A couple movies are mentioned, one of which is probably okay, one of which is probably not okay, and one of which I have not heard of before this book.
• Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia (and C. S. Lewis), and The Count of Montecristo are mentioned.
• Even the main character + her friends wear jeans.

I loved the writing style, the descriptions, the lessons learned, and the plot in this book!! I also appreciated that the King James Bible was used. However, because of the above things, unfortunately it’s not going to become an absolute favorite. If you are okay with the above things or are willing and able to take white-out to the book, I would definitely recommend it! It was a sweet book, and I greatly enjoyed it.